The Xbox One release date has arrived

Rejoice, Xbox fans

The Xbox One is now on sale on the East Coast, and as midnight strikes across the country, Microsoft's next-gen console will be finding its way into the hands of eager gamers everywhere.

Microsoft rang in the Xbox One release with a bang, hosting blowout gatherings at the Best Buy Theater in New York's Time Square and Milk Studios in Los Angeles. Performers like deadmau5 and Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis feted the countdown affairs.

There were midnight launch parties going down at Microsoft Stores nationwide, and miles of human-made lines have formed at stores like Best Buy, Target and Walmart.

Just a week behind the PS4 release, it seems gamers still have plenty left in the tank for Microsoft's new machine.

A good day for gamers everywhere

Priced at $499, the Xbox One is $100 more than the PlayStation 4. However, it includes the Xbox One Kinect, while Sony left the $60 PS4 Camera out of the box.

It's not necessarily out of the goodness of its heart that Microsoft has bundled the Kinect; it's an integral part of the Xbox One experience, not just for controlling the UI but because so many games use it to varying degrees.